The Nanny State
by MasterKenobi1138
Summary: The Doctor and his new companion Veronica decide to take a break on Sestra Prime, a world that has put an end to centuries of war. But the Sestrans have a terrible secret about how they won that peace. Contains AB/DL themes and age regression.
1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:** For those who might be confused, I've created my own version of the Doctor here rather than use any of the previous incarnations. However, he's very much like the Tenth and Eleventh Doctors, and yes, he is finally ginger. His companion Veronica is also an original character.

**One**

In the interior of a vast alien vessel, everything is silent with anticipation.

Two seconds later, the silence is broken with the sharp whistle of a boiling tea kettle.

Veronica Hyde races into a small kitchen inside the alien vessel, still in her pajamas and her hair in curlers. As she pours the hot water into her teacup, she notices the ginger-bearded man in the tweed coat sitting at the kitchen table, reading a British newspaper and dipping biscuits into a bowl of custard.

"What year is that?" Veronica asks.

The Doctor chews thoughtfully on a biscuit, still reading. "1962. Some old codger is predicting the imminent end of Beatlemania. As usual."

Veronica smiles at the thought of thousands of girls screaming and shaking their heads in a frenzy. She never appreciated the band as much as her parents did, though she had a soft spot for "Yellow Submarine."

"Been thinking that we've had quite a terrible run lately." The Doctor folds up his paper and looks over at his companion with a tired frown. "Cybermen, dragons, Jovian warlords-all a bit much for your first trip round the cosmos, isn't it? So I thought we might find someplace that's actually quiet for a change. Sestra Prime, year 2753."

"What's that like?" Veronica adds milk and sugar, then sips her tea slowly. It's almost as good as the kind back home. Almost.

"Oh, lovely planet." The Doctor's smile seems nostalgic. "No major continents. Just chains of islands on one worldwide ocean. Uses hydroponics as agriculture. Lots of self-contained, storm-proofed cities on stilts. And as I understand it, the Sestrans and the Puerin have finally reached a peace agreement. No more guerilla wars and acts of piracy."

"That's a shame." Veronica grins behind her teacup. "I would've liked to have met a real pirate."

The Doctor shrugs. "If it means that much to you, we'll go see old Blackbeard after this."

She can't help but smile, though she tries to glare at him. "You promise?"

"You bet I do."

An ethereal hum fills the air-the ringing of the Cloister Bell at the heart of the TARDIS. After weeks abroad the ship, Veronica has slowly gotten used to the sound. She's had to adjust to a lot of things lately. Like time travel. And the existence of aliens and monsters. And what her schoolteachers called a "stable domestic situation."

As she changes out of her pajamas and into her cold-weather clothes, Veronica is still amazed at how normal and accepting the Doctor was. He didn't bat an eye when he found her smuggling drugs for her father's gang in the East End of London, nor did he hesitate to accept her plea to come with him when her father proceeded to disown her after she denounced his latest criminal enterprise (a nasty bit of business involving an arms sale and an agent of the Cybermen). She'd heard stories of wizards and angels all her life, but on the streets of London, she never expected them to actually mean anything-not until a cold November morning when she ran into the Doctor.

Completing her all-black outfit with a white silk scarf and cap, Veronica checks herself out in the mirror and decides she likes what she sees. She can barely remember the last time she was on holiday, or at least one that didn't involve something with one of Dad's "business partners." She grins at her reflection and turns to leave the wardrobe, taking the helix staircase down to the main hold.

The Doctor leans over a console at the center of the hold, fiddling with something that glows blue. The only thing he's added to his usual ensemble is a red scarf. When Veronica reaches the end of the staircase, he looks up and grins at her. "Well, well. Someone looks ready for another adventure."

"I thought you said this was going to be a _quiet_ trip, Doctor."

His eyes shift quickly to the left, theatrically exaggerated. "Oh, yes. Yes, I most certainly did. I'm sure it'll be very quiet..." He clears his throat and glances back down at the console. "Very..."

Slowly, the Cloister Bell lapses into silence. The TARDIS has reached its destination. Moving toward the exit, the Doctor links arms with Veronica and pushes the door open with a dramatic flourish.

Outside their vessel is an endless expanse of rain and tumultuous ocean waves. Veronica nearly stumbles back, but the Doctor catches her. She takes a moment to clutch her hat against the rain and realize that they're standing on a metallic pier. She turns around, looking past the police box facade of the TARDIS and sees that the dock leads into a massive geodesic dome that rises up from the waters. Its silvery surface is buffeted constantly with rain, wind, and flashes of distant lightning.

At the other end of the pier, right where it meets the dome, a blank silver panel slides open, releasing a tiny spot of pure white light. The Doctor takes Veronica by the hand and they run toward the open door as quickly as they can. The wet metal plates under their boots make running a treacherous activity, but the Doctor seems to navigate the worst of it intuitively.

Some kind of force field keeps the rain and wind out as the Doctor and Veronica pass through, giving them both a mild electric tingle. The door dilates shut as soon as they're inside, muffling the roar of the storm.

"Hullo there!" The Doctor claps his hands together twice. Veronica turns around to see a two-meter tall woman come gliding into the pure white antechamber. Despite her human-like shape and facial features, the newcomer is distinctly alien. She wears a yellow cloak over a blue jumpsuit, which accentuates her lavender-tone skin and wispy gray hair. Something about the woman's kindly smile and regal bearing reminds Veronica of the headmistress at her old school-the sort who seemed to like children but had no actual capacity to handle them.

"We are honored by your visit, Doctor," the woman replies. She claps her hands together twice and inclines her head. "The Sestran Collective remains indebted to you for your assistance."

"Oh, that." The Doctor strokes his beard and glances sheepishly at Veronica. "I just happened to be passing through."

"You stopped a war that had lasted for centuries." The Sestran claps her hands together once as if adding a punctuation mark. "We could never have reached our accord with the Puerin without your counsel." The Sestran's cheeks flush to a shade of pink as she turns to Veronica. "But where are my manners? Welcome to Sestrapolis. I am Hanna, Governess Third Class."

"How do you do?" Veronica nearly extends her hand for a shake, then thinks better of it (having learned from the Doctor just how widely customs vary across the universe). "Veronica Hyde, Doctor's companion."

"And speaking of the Puerin," the Doctor interjects, "how are relations now between the Collective and the Clans?"

Governess Hanna doesn't say anything for a moment. Her cheeks flush pink again as she steps aside. When the Doctor exchanges a puzzled look with Veronica, the Sestran quietly adds, "Perhaps it would be best to show you around our city, Doctor. A lot has changed since your last visit."

The Governess's tour leads them into a multi-directional elevator that shoots through the massive expanse of Sestrapolis. Veronica stares in wonder at the numerous walkways bridging housing units and office blocks together like the intertwining tree branches. Automated worker pods fly through the air, repairing holes in walkways and moving light cargo between the internal buildings. Every surface seems to be silver, white, or gold-trimmed. She thinks of the old 1950s view of "The Future," and how everything was going to be silver spandex, ray guns, and hovercraft. Then again, the pure white backdrop also reminds her of the local Apple Store.

None of this seems to faze the Doctor. He stands between Veronica and Hanna, listening politely to the Governess's speech about peacetime industry and post-war economic stagnation. Veronica barely notices the monologue, although she does wonder how stagnant their economy would be if everything seems so shiny and expensive.

Eventually, the elevator comes to a halt, as an accented male voice announces, "_Level Thirty-Eight_, _Block Spetaa_, _Subsection Karn_." The glass doors open and Governess Hanna leads her guests down a small gray corridor.

"This is normally where I work," the Governess explains. She pauses at the end of the corridor and taps a button on the wall three times. The door beeps and slides open.

Veronica feels the Doctor tremble as they look at the scene within. For all intents and purposes, it appears to be a very large nursery, complete with painted sea waves on the walls, fold-out changing tables, brightly colored plastic chairs and tables, and a row of six comically large cribs. And waddling and playing amidst these furnishings are six young men and women, all pale-skinned, brown-haired, and golden-eyed. They wear white one-piece suits that look a lot like footed pajamas and a few of them sit on the floor, contentedly sucking on pacifiers.

"Do you see, Doctor?" Hanna waves at the overgrown children at play. "This is the price of our hard-won peace. Our original sin."

The Doctor stares at the scene in horror. Veronica can't remember seeing him so appalled. Neither Cybermen in the East End nor dragons in medieval France could stir him up like this.

"Doctor," she asks quietly, "what is it?"

He frowns and shoves his hands into his coat pockets. "Veronica, these children... they're the Puerin. Or perhaps it's better to say, they _were_ the Puerin."


	2. Chapter 2

**Two**

"When I last came here, the Sestrans and the Puerin had been at war for almost five hundred years." The Doctor sits on a bright red plastic chair, leaning forward with a glum expression. "The Sestrans were always wealthier, more refined. The Puerin were rugged seafarers. For five hundred years, it was a war of Puerin piracy and Sestran bombings."

"It was the Doctor who tried to convince us to band our forces together," Governess Hanna adds. She bounces a male Puerin on her knee, who gurgles happily. "He saw that the sea levels were rising dangerously and knew it was only a matter of time before the lower-altitude Puerin settlements would be wiped out. But the Premier and his Cabinet didn't want to wait for that to happen. They advocated more... drastic measures."

The Doctor looks at Veronica, then over at Hanna. "But how could the Puerin have been reduced to this?"

Hanna lowers her head. "The kybertine virus. Our best scientists created a biochemical weapon that would attack Puerin's brains. Reduce them to a more peaceful, more amenable state of consciousness. You can imagine our shock when boatloads of mindless, terrified grown infants suddenly arrived at our cities weeks later."

The overgrown child on her lap gurgles in response. Hanna tries her best to smile and pats him on the back.

"All these Puerin," the Doctor muses. He scratches his beard and glances at the other "children" asleep in their cribs. "Taking them all in must've been terrible strain on your resources."

"Our economy has suffered, yes." Hanna turns to Veronica. "But you must understand. We couldn't have it on our consciences to let them fend for themselves in the wild sea. And besides, we have tried to integrate them into our society. You remember, Doctor, how quickly the Puerin adapted to whatever technology they stole from us? Even in this regressed state, they still intuitively understand how to operate our maintenance drones and power generators. We just had to retool the controls to be more... child-friendly. Big buttons and bright colors, that sort of thing."

Veronica leans over to get a look at one of the Puerin girls asleep in her crib. She seems so peaceful, sucking on her pacifier and curled up under a blanket. It's hard to imagine these young ones ever being pirates or manual laborers.

"I take it the regression has become hereditary?" the Doctor asks. He takes out his sonic screwdriver and stares meaningfully at it.

Hanna nods. Then, as she takes notice of the Puerin on her lap and how his eyes are drooping shut, she picks him up and carries him over to the last empty crib. She pulls a blanket over him and pushes a button on the wall. Veronica can barely hear something like a synthetic lullaby being played in the air over his crib. The melody is alien, but the tinkling notes are as familiar to her as any nursery rhyme.

Looking back, Veronica sees that the Doctor is lost in thought, contemplating the device in his hands. She remembers thinking of it as a magic wand, but he explained it was nothing of the sort. More like a Swiss Army knife. It had a variety of useful functions, but it couldn't be used as a weapon and it couldn't solve the biggest problems-like war, poverty, and tyranny. Then, as he did now, the Doctor seemed so very old when he spoke and looked at the screwdriver in his hand. It was easy to believe in such moments that he'd been doing this sort of thing for centuries.

"Doctor, Miss Hyde," says Hanna, breaking the awkward silence in the nursery, "perhaps you'd care to join me for some refreshments? The children need their rest and we have to restock this facility."

Veronica waits for the Doctor to get up and pocket his screwdriver. They follow Hanna out the door, only to quickly step aside as another Sestran pushes a cart down the corridor. He wears a blue jumpsuit like Hanna, but with a gray cloak, and nods respectfully at the Doctor on his way into the nursery. Veronica notices that the top of the cart is loaded with baby bottles, clean pacifiers, folded-up onesies, and adult-size diapers.

When she turns around, Hanna is staring at her sympathetically. "Rather a lot to take in, isn't it?"

"Yes, it is." Veronica blushes. "But I've come to expect that in traveling with the Doctor."

The Doctor slowly perks up at the sound of her voice. He turns to Veronica with a tiny smile and a wink, as if to say, "Thanks for the pick-me-up." Then he turns to Hanna, offers her his arm like a gentleman, and says out loud, "Well. Shall we go then?"

On Level Sixteen, the Governess takes her two guests into a large dining area. To Veronica, the silvery chairs and light brown walls remind her of a cafe in Soho she and her friends used to frequent on weeknights. At this time of the day-hard to tell inside the city, but Hanna says it's just after midday-the dining area is sparsely populated. Only a handful of Sestrans in jumpsuits and cloaks sit around, drinking from white mugs and eating off silver trays. A small fleet of floating trays with tiny robotic arms waits on them, delivering fresh meals and cleaning up vacated tables with silent precision.

The Doctor finds them a table in the center of the room and waves over one of the floating trays. It jabbers at him in a fast-paced language that Veronica doesn't begin to comprehend, but the Doctor just says, "The special sounds fine. We'll have three of those, a glass of tea, a bakya juice for the Governess, and a gerry ale for the lady."

Veronica frowns at him as the auto-tray floats off to the kitchen. "Gerry ale?"

"Don't worry, you'll like it." He grins at her and pokes her in the shoulder. "Totally compatible with human biochemistry. Sweeter and less filling than your usual English beer."

"So basically what I'd be drinking at a nightclub."

"Precisely!" The Doctor's grin drops to a sad smile as he turns to Hanna. "Now, this Premier of yours. He the same chap I met before?"

The Governess shakes her head. "That was Premier Arstani. He resigned after the debacle with the kybertine virus. We had another election and Bardein has been the Premier ever since."

"What you might not know, Veronica," the Doctor adds, leaning toward her conspiratorially, "is that the Sestrans practice direct democracy. Every Sestran over the age of thirty is automatically a Member of Parliament. All decisions conducted by wireless voting. Remarkable, isn't it?"

"It isn't all that remarkable," Hanna comments. She looks at Veronica. "Are people on your world that interested in their politics?"

"Depends on who you ask, I suppose." Veronica shrugs. "I never cared much myself. Always thought Parliament was a bunch of old men in suits making a lot of noise while civil servants did all the real work."

"It's amazing how universal that style of government is," the Doctor remarks with a snide chuckle.

"Here," Hanna explains, "being political is just one more social obligation. I can't tell you how many times I've been in the middle of changing a diaper or feeding a Puerin when I've gotten a prompt to vote yea or nay on some legislation about city infrastructure."

Veronica stifles a laugh at the mental image of an overworked Governess typing in her vote while she's bottle-feeding an adult Puerin. Her laughter stops when the auto-tray arrives with their meals. On each plate is a mass of purple-veined leaves under a yellow sauce that looks surprisingly meaty. The unappealing blend of colors makes Veronica want to gag, but to her shock, both the Governess and the Doctor dig into their food with gusto.

She decides to try her gerry ale. At least the orange coloring doesn't throw her off, and after the first sip, she knows it's as good as the Doctor promised.

"I don't suppose I could get a chance to meet Premier Bardein?" the Doctor asks. He wipes some of the sauce off his chin with a cloth napkin.

Hanna smiles at him in between bites of her exotic-looking salad. "As Governess for Subsection Karn, I'd be happy to arrange it. And I'm sure the Premier will be glad to have your expertise on our current troubles."

The Doctor laughs. "You'd be surprised how often world leaders dread me showing up out of the blue. They call me the Oncoming Storm for good reason."

Meanwhile, Veronica finishes swallowing as much of her food as she can. It tastes a bit like sushi and romaine-leaf salad, but blander. Washing it down with the last of her gerry ale makes the whole meal tolerable. But soon that creates a slight pressure on her bladder and her legs begin to get jittery.

"Sorry to interrupt," she says quietly, "but I don't suppose you have a restroom nearby?"

Hanna frowns. "Restroom? Do you need sleep, Miss Hyde?"

"She means a toilet, Governess," the Doctor clarifies. His matter-of-fact tone causes Veronica to blush.

"Oh, but of course!" Hanna pushes her plate aside and rises from the table. She magnanimously offers Veronica her hand. "This way, please."


	3. Chapter 3

**Three**

The Doctor watches Governess Hanna take Veronica by the hand and lead her out of the dining room. He smiles at them until they leave, then looks around to see if he's being watched. By now, the other Sestrans have gone back to work, leaving him alone with the various auto-trays.

Slowly, he gets up from the table and adjusts the scarf around his neck. He always liked this scarf; he'd worn it at the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II and had recently sported it at Adele's latest concert. Lots of good memories associated with it. He'll need those bright memories to cheer him up in a place like this.

He felt it the moment Hanna started giving her tour. A sort of psychic imbalance in the air-and not just what had happened to the Puerin. Something else is rotten in the heart of Sestrapolis. He's quite sure of it.

Still, appearances must be kept up. As the Doctor leaves his table and exits the room, he whistles the opening notes to "Rolling in the Deep." This seems to placate the auto-trays, which go back to their cleanup duties on the other side of the room.

The door dilates open and the Doctor steps through. However, standing on the other side is a small delegation of Sestran men in blue cloaks and black suits. The tallest and oldest stands in front, brushing back his white hair in a sign of humility.

"It is a great honor to meet you at last, Doctor." The eldest Sestran offers a lavender-toned hand. "Premier Bardein, leader of the Collective, at your service."

The Doctor shakes his hand and smiles politely. "Premier Bardein, it's my pleasure to be here. I'm glad to see that things have settled down in the Collective since last time."

"Indeed." The Premier frowns as if he's tasted something bitter. "If you have the time, however, I would very much like for you to sit in our Cabinet meeting tomorrow. There are a number of pressing issues that I'm sure your wisdom could help solve for us." He quickly smiles and adds, "Once again."

"I'm afraid my doctorate doesn't apply to all fields, Premier." The Doctor pauses, thinks it over, then shrugs and adds, "Well, most of them, anyway. I promise to do what I can."

Behind the Premier, the other somber-looking Sestrans nod and murmur agreeably. Premier Bardein smiles and clasps his hands together. "Excellent, Doctor. Most gratifying to hear. And as a token of my personal respect, please allow me to show you to your living quarters."

"Hang on." The Doctor leans past the entourage and looks down the corridor behind them. "My, uh, companion is here with me. She's with Governess Hanna at the moment."

The Premier blinks. "Oh, you have a companion? And here we thought you traveled alone."

"I've got someone more often than not."

"I see." The Premier waves his hand in what most Sestrans consider a reassuring gesture. "My staff can contact Governess Hanna and let her know where you're staying. I'm sure it won't be any trouble."

"Good to hear." The Doctor takes a step forward, then realizes that the entourage hasn't moved yet. He smiles through his sudden embarrassment and waves at the Premier. "Apologies, sir. It's your city. You lead the way."

As Premier Bardein rambles on about progress and the "Puerin-Sestran partnership," the Doctor lets his eyes wander freely over the clean white corridors and passing Sestran workers. Every so often he sees a Sestran Governor or Governess leading a troupe of white-clad Puerin into a nursery or managing an operations team. They play with the controls like it's a game, but they're clearly operating the drones in the air around them. It's amazing to watch them in action, but it does little to quell the unease in the Doctor's mind.

An hour later, Bardein has led his group into an apartment complex. He approaches a door marked for eminent visitors and offers the Doctor a keycard. "The key also features twenty-seven ducars' worth of credit. Redeemable for any restaurant or theater of your choice."

"Much obliged," the Doctor replies, but he's soon interrupted by a terrible scream at the other end of the hallway.

Everyone turns around to see a Puerin girl running toward them, waving her arms madly. The Premier turns and nods at two of his fellow Sestrans, who step forward and restrain the errant child by the arms. One of them takes her by both arms while the other reaches around and spanks her once. The blow stops the girl's crying, although tears are still streaming down her face.

"Oh dear, oh dear." Premier Bardein looks the troublemaker over with mild disapproval. "As you can see, Doctor, sometimes the kybertine virus has a terrible side effect on their minds. Makes them agitated without reason. We try to curb it with a good diet and exercise, but sometimes discipline is the only solution." He turns to the two Sestrans holding her. "Guardsman, what's the child's name?"

The guard glances at something on the back of the Puerin's jumpsuit. "Clarent-33. Level Twenty-Two, Block Nyaj, Subsection Hul."

"Do you mind if I have a look at her?" The Doctor reaches for his sonic screwdriver, thinking he can use its biometric features to get a good look inside the girl's psyche. But the Premier reaches out and holds him by the arm.

"I'm sorry, Doctor, but I think it might be best if we left this up to our own specialists." Premier Bardein turns and quickly waves the two guards away, who drag the silently crying girl away. Then he looks back at the Doctor, who remains as puzzled as before. "I realize how harsh we might seem, but we've been on edge ever since the end of the war. Being the Puerin's caretakers has strained the Collective's morale as well as our resources."

Nodding, the Doctor puts his screwdriver away. He takes out his keycard and slides it through the lock on his door. "Well, Premier. I'll be more than glad to discuss such matters with you tomorrow. Please make sure my companion arrives with Governess Hanna as soon as possible."

The Premier nods respectfully. "You have my word, Doctor. Good day."

When the door slides shut, the Doctor finally takes out his screwdriver and points it at the lock. With a quiet whirr, it takes only a few seconds to reprogram the door's security code. No keycard will open it now-only the Doctor's screwdriver. He hasn't survived nine centuries of adventures and horrors by being a naive houseguest.

And speaking of houseguests, the Doctor wonders, what's become of the lovely Veronica...?


	4. Chapter 4

**Four**

Veronica washes her hands in the sink, feeling slightly comforted by the restroom's aqua green color scheme. She doesn't quite understand why aliens that otherwise look so human have such strange designs, like why their toilets and sinks are triangular instead of round, or what purpose three faucets on the same sink serve. Sure, the second one turned out to be a soup dispenser, but she didn't dare touch the third one with the red blinking light on top.

After wiping her hand on a paper towel, Veronica stands in front of the door and waits for it to slide open. She finds Governess Hanna standing outside, greeting her with a kind smile and an outstretched hand. Dubiously, Veronica takes her hand. She feels like a schoolgirl being led back to class, but she supposes that the Governess is just being polite.

"I hope you'll enjoy your stay here, Miss Hyde," the Governess says as they go back up the corridor. "Has the Doctor said how long you'll be with us?"

"He never does, actually." Veronica shrugs. "Come to think of it, we really don't stay much longer when things quiet down."

Hanna frowns. "I'm sorry. 'Quiet down'?"

Her skeptical tone stops Veronica in her tracks. She looks at the Governess and puts her hand up in reassurance. "Oh, no, we're not trying to start trouble! I swear! We just, um, tend to... find it ourselves..."

She can't say another word. It sounds too ridiculous once she's said it out loud. Veronica had never really considered before how often the Doctor or the TARDIS seemed drawn to being in harm's way. Granted, she was used to it herself, having to do her father's work with the drug trade, but not every single day had been spent running from the police or fighting off monsters or mayhem like that. Some days all she'd done was have a nice cup of tea and a muffin while she watched TV. There seemed to be less of those moments while traveling with the Doctor.

The Governess, however, seems to understand. She puts a sympathetic hand on Veronica's arm. "It's all right, Miss. You don't need to explain yourself to me. I have no right to pry."

Veronica smiles back. "Thank you, Hanna."

"Governess, please."

"Well, you can call me Veronica, if you like."

Hanna blushes. "Sorry, Miss. We Sestrans respect titles more than names. Holdover from the war, you see." After a moment, she recomposes her face and straightens out her cloak. "Shall we go back, then?"

Veronica is about to say yes when she hears a distant wail from the other end of the corridor. She and Hanna both turn toward the sound.

"What was that?" Veronica asks.

"A discipline session." Hanna steps over and peers down the hall. "You see, sometimes our Puerin can be a little... hard to manage. When they need a little reconditioning, we send them to a discipline chamber." When she turns back to Veronica, her smile is more polite than genuine. "It's not very pleasant for either party, I'm afraid."

Veronica nods, but she isn't satisfied. That cry hurt her deeply. She remembers hearing sounds of arguing and domestic abuse from her old neighborhood. Sounds of crying children and mothers beaten by savage fathers. She closes her eyes, remembering her own mother's tear-stricken face and how she disappeared when Veronica was just fourteen.

"Please, Governess," she says softly, forcing herself to look down the hall, "I must see for myself. Both the good and the bad."

Hanna nods. "As you wish, Miss Hyde."

Down the corridor and through a door on the right, Hanna leads Veronica down a short flight of stairs. It doesn't escape the young woman's notice that suddenly the lighting is a lot dimmer and everything is set in tones of gray and red instead of neutral white.

Ahead lies a door marked with Sestran letters. Hanna waves a keycard over the lock and waits for the door to open. She steps aside and lets Veronica enter first.

The room beyond is doused in an eerie blue light. In the middle is a tilted chair, into which a Puerin girl is strapped. Some kind of mechanical vise is gripping her head to the chair, while smaller metal arms hold her eyelids open like something out of _A Clockwork Orange_. The Puerin girl's face is taut with mortal dread as she stares helplessly at something on the ceiling.

"I will ask you once more, Clarent-33," says a synthesized male voice. "_Where_ is the Golden Vault hidden?"

Veronica looks up and sees a floating metal ball with a single red eye on a telescoping arm. As it swings toward her, the eyestalk makes her think of the recordings the Doctor showed her of his mortal enemies, the Daleks.

The metal ball buzzes once, then says, "Minister, I must report a security breach. This woman is not authorized to be here."

Just then, the door behind Hanna opens and in storms a tall Sestran man in black jumpsuit and an off-white cloak. He sneers at Veronica, then turns onto Hanna with murderous contempt. "Governess, you will explain this! Why did you bring this girl here?"

"My apologies, Minister!" Hanna claps her hands together and bows frantically. "She asked me to bring her here! I... I didn't realize it wasn't permitted!"

The Minister turns to Veronica again, this time with a more guarded expression. He squints at her, then waves at the captive Puerin in the chair. "What you have seen, Miss, is nothing of concern. Just a routine interrogation. You would do well to avoid discussing it outside this room."

"Is that so?" Veronica feels something hot and red boiling up inside of her. She hasn't felt this mad since the day she called out her father for selling guns to Cybermen. "And you expect me to keep _quiet_ about cold-blooded torture? You'll have to kill me if you think I won't be telling the Doctor about this!"

"The _Doctor_'_s_ here?" the Minister hisses. He glances at Hanna, who nods mutely and looks as terrified as the girl strapped to the chair.

When he turns back to Veronica, he's grinning and not in a good way.

"Killing you isn't the only option available," he says quietly. "You just need to be kept quiet, Miss. Like a good little girl."

Veronica edges back, trying to shield the Puerin girl. But the Minister doesn't attack her. Instead, he reaches into a pocket on his jumpsuit and takes out a pair of breath masks. He hands one to Hanna, who puts it on reluctantly, and then dons his own mask.

"Technician," the Minister says, his voice muffled, "activate the Kybertine Protocol. Second degree, please."

"Right you are, sir," the metal ball in the air buzzes back. Then Veronica smells something bitter and rotting in the air around her. She coughs and lifts her hand to her nose, but the metal ball's eyestalk extends itself right in front of her face. She stares into its red eyepiece right as it flashes white-

And then, black.


	5. Chapter 5

**Five**

An insistent beep rouses the Doctor from his sleep-well, his light nap, really. He sits upright in his chair and looks over at the time display on the wall. By Sestran standards, it's the start of Third Watch; by Earth reckoning (Greenwich Time), it would be just after eight in the morning.

Getting up and brushing some biscuit crumbs off his trousers, the Doctor walks over to the display and switches the alarm off. He stretches and looks around the clean steel-gray apartment. Still no sign of Veronica, which worries him. And he's due to sit in on a Cabinet meeting at Fifth Watch, which concerns him less (probably just some boring ceremony with a lot of flowery speeches and no progress).

Rubbing his bearded chin, the Doctor walks over to his door and reaches into his pocket. He takes out his sonic screwdriver and scans the lock. Satisfied that no one broke in while he was asleep, he goes over to a comm screen sitting upright on a writing desk by his chair. With a brush of his fingertip, he brings the screen to life and dials the call-code for Governess Hanna.

No response. The Doctor frowns, then tries City Security.

"How can we help, sir?" says a silhouetted, low-throated Sestran man two seconds later.

"This is the Doctor speaking. My companion went missing last night. Is there any way you can find her?"

"You'll have to give us her description, Doctor. And her last known location."

Not liking the sound of that, the Doctor leans toward the screen and says, "Do you see me, Officer? Good. Now darken and lengthen the hair, take away the beard, and picture me in something more flattering. That's my companion, Miss Veronica Hyde." When the officer's image doesn't change right away, he lets out a sigh and forces himself to add, "Her last _known_ location was in the company of one Governess Hanna."

"Oh, well, why didn't you say so?" The security officer's silhouette disappears for a moment, then returns just as quickly. "Governess Hanna has been reassigned. Order came through from the Ministry of Health and Science early this morning, sir."

"Reassigned?" The Doctor's frown deepens. Every girl he'd met (or brought) on this planet seemed to be disappearing fast. "Where to?"

"Level Ninety-One, Block Zyt, Subsection Ykev. But even as a VIP, you'll need authorization for-"

But the Doctor has no time for that. He taps his finger against the screen, cutting off the transmission. Then it's out the door with his sonic screwdriver in hand and his trusty scarf flapping around his neck.

Don't you worry, Veronica, the Doctor promises in his heart, I'm coming for ya...

A trio of floating white drones scurry out of his way as the Doctor races toward the closing doors of an elevator. He snaps his screwdriver toward the control panel, causing the doors to freeze in place. He squeezes inside and waits for the doors to shut and the elevator to descend. And just his luck, too-it's already set to go to Level Ninety-Nine.

Catching his breath, the Doctor turns around and takes notice of the startled Sestrans and Puerin standing behind him. One Sestran is dressed in an orange jumpsuit with no cloak, the other is a Governess, and behind her stand two rather diminutive Puerin, both waddling and sucking their thumbs in awe of this strange person.

"Morning!" the Doctor says brightly. He bends low and smiles at the two Puerin. "Being good tots, are we?"

"Mm," says one of the Puerin, mumbling around her thumb. The Governess forces a smile and pats her on the head.

"Er, pardon me, but..." The man in the orange jumpsuit clears his throat. "Aren't you _the_ Doctor?"

Quickly standing up, the Doctor straightens his scarf and jacket out. "Yes, I am. Anything I can do to help?"

"Not unless you've got something to stop those bloody bachals in the lower sector," the Sestran mutters back. The Governess, meanwhile, clasps her hands over the ears of her two Puerin and shoots him a stern look.

The Doctor understands her concern. He remembers the bachals: twice the size of a typical Puerin seaship and three times as long. Strong and black-scaled serpents of the deep, a nightmare to both races. Sestran cities were supposed to be well-protected against their intrusion, but maybe not...

"Sorry, I don't think there's enough room in the TARDIS," he tells the Sestran. The man shrugs and goes back to staring sullenly out the window.

Finally, the elevator stops and the doors slide open. The Doctor races ahead, prompting a startled gasp from the Governess and giggles from her wards. He slips by another crowd of Sestran workers, all carrying toolkits and dressed in orange like the other fellow. They wave and smile as the Doctor goes dashing by; clearly some of them are old enough to remember his last visit.

At the end of the first corridor is a neon green map on the wall. Stopping to consult it, the Doctor taps his finger against the glowing pink dot that marks his position, then traces his finger around the city blocks. Finding Block Zyt, Subsection Ykev isn't too difficult, although it's out of the way. The Doctor quickly memorizes the route-two left turns and one right, then straight on-and dashes off once more.

After five minutes of running like a madman, the Doctor pulls up short as he comes toward Subsection Ykev. It's at the end of a gray corridor, a single white door with two serious-looking Sestrans standing guard outside. And much to his surprise, the uniforms they're wearing aren't Security mauve. They're dark green, the color of the Collective Defense Forces.

Such a situation requires some tact. The Doctor smooths out his coat and takes out a sheet of psychic paper from his pocket. From there, it's just a matter of smiling pleasantly and walking confidently toward the door.

The guard on the right lifts his plasma rifle across his chest as the Doctor approaches. A thick white helmet with a dark visor muffles his voice. "Sorry, sir. This area is restricted."

"Oh, but I've got _permission_." The Doctor says "permission" like it's a magic incantation. He flashes the paper up for both guards to see. "A document of transit, signed and sealed by the Premier himself."

Of course it's a blank sheet of paper. But Gallifreyan technology goes a long way in this corner of the universe. His confidence is enough to convince the two guards that, why, yes, it certainly looks like an official document granting him access. They nod to each other and the man on the left pushes a button to open the door.

"Thank you, gents," he says with a grin and steps inside.

The door closes and the lights brighten, giving him a clear view of the chamber. It looks just like the nursery he saw, only smaller. There's a single crib on the other side of the room and enough plastic furniture for two Puerin-sized people. The Doctor recognizes Governess Hanna from behind, who at the moment is bending over someone lying in the crib.

At the sound of the door closing, the Governess turns around. She looks tired, even more so than when they last spoke. Her hair is a mess and she's practically hobbles over to the Doctor, who catches her in his arms.

"I was afraid you'd never find us," she whispers plaintively.

"I'm here now, Governess. What happened?"

Hanna lifts her head, blinking slowly. "We saw something we shouldn't have. It wasn't permitted. I tried to stop her, but-"

"Stop her?" The Doctor looks past her shoulder at the crib. It takes him a moment to realize that the person lying in it is a bit larger than most of the Puerin he's seen so far; the Sestrans stand about a meter taller than them on average.

He walks past Hanna and looks down inside the crib. It takes him a moment to wrap his head around the sight of a young Englishwoman sucking on a pacifier, wearing a white onesie with the noticeable bulge of a diaper around her waist. The girl stares back with curious eyes that don't seem to recognize him.

"Oh, Veronica." The Doctor leans onto the crib railing, suddenly feeling every one of his nine hundred years. "I've always said you were a precocious child, but this is pushing it..."


	6. Chapter 6

**Six**

"I'd never seen anything like it," Hanna says quietly. They sit on a pair of red plastic chairs in the middle of the room. The Doctor watches in mild disbelief as Veronica sits on her lap, contentedly drinking juice from a bottle in the Governess's hand.

"What were they asking Clarent-33 about?" the Doctor asks. He looks right at Hanna, trying not to stare too much at his companion.

The Governess looks away, ashamed. "They wanted to see if she knew anything about the Golden Vault. But I don't see how they could have gotten anything out of a child's mind like _that_."

"And what's the Golden Vault?"

"I haven't the slightest clue. But the Minister was insistent that I never tell another soul about it." Hanna looks down at Veronica and frowns. "He had me permanently assigned to this subsection. If I leave, I'll be charged with treason and executed. And the same goes for her..."

The Doctor glances between the two women-and while Veronica might be acting and thinking like a child, she's still a woman in his eyes. He puts a hand against his face and considers his options. No point in going to that Cabinet meeting now or trying to convince the guards outside to help them. Everyone in Sestran society seems trapped in the old wartime mentality-no questions asked, no treasonous thoughts, and no giving aid and comfort to The Enemy. Keep a stiff upper lip and be good little soldiers.

Of course, he notes with some bemusement, in such a brittle society, even the slightest provocation will send everything to pieces. And ever since his days at the Academy, he's always had a penchant for disturbing the peace.

"Well, that won't do, Governess." With a slap to his knee, the Doctor rises and turns toward the door. "We may not have friends in Cabinet, but you're a Member of Parliament under duress. Once we get out of here, I'll see to it that _somebody_ is going to call for an emergency session. We'll get the facts out in the open and hear what the Premier has to say for himself."

"But we're under guard," Hanna insists. "We can't just walk out of here!"

The Doctor looks down at Veronica, who seems to be on the verge of falling asleep in the other woman's arms. Then he reaches into his coat and takes out his psychic paper. "Well, maybe you can't, Governess. But I've got one thing you don't: _permission_."

The guards snap to attention as soon as the Doctor steps outside. He claps his hands together in the Sestran fashion, ensuring he has their attention.

"There's been a change in plans," he says quickly. "Just got off the phone with the Premier. Says he wants the people in there reassigned to Level Thirty-Eight, Block Spetaa, Subsection Karn. Mind giving us an escort?"

The guard on the left leans forward. "Sorry, sir. We can't do anything without direct authorization from the Premier."

"But I've got his permission!" the Doctor insists. He flashes the psychic paper in front of them, imagining what their reassignment order would look like. "See?"

The guards exchange looks, then lean forward to examine the paper. Fortunately, they're so focused on it that they don't notice the sonic screwdriver being slowly removed from his pocket and pointed under their chins.

"But first," the Doctor announces, "time for a nap!"

He hits the trigger twice. Two shorts burst of psychosomatic energy aimed directly at their nervous systems. The guards slump against each other before collapsing unconscious onto the floor. Their rifles clatter loudly in the empty corridor.

Pleased with this result, the Doctor steps back into the room. By now the Governess had put her cloak back on and gotten Veronica onto her feet. The young woman holds onto Hanna's arm, looking unsteady as she takes a few steps forward.

"Hmm, this could be a problem." The Doctor looks over at the Governess. "How much of that virus did they give her?"

"Not a lot," Hanna replies, still trying to help Veronica walk. "The Minister said something about it being only the second degree. Just enough to override her speech centers and motor functions."

"So just enough to keep her docile." Then the Doctor looks down at the sonic screwdriver in his hand. Suddenly he feels inspired. It helps that he knows the physiology of human beings better than he does Sestrans.

"Hold her still," he asks Hanna. As she complies, the Doctor steps forward and looks Veronica in the eye. As he holds the screwdriver up, she tries to grab for the glowing muzzle like it's a toy.

"No, Veronica, it's not playtime." He takes her hand into his and waits for Hanna to grab the other one. With the girl staring curiously at him, he points the screwdriver at her forehead and keys in a biometric sequence on its control panel.

The whirr grows loud in the room. Veronica's eyes go wide. Her mouth falls open and her body begins to shake as the anti-viral procedure takes effect. Hanna's mouth falls open in amazement as Veronica begins to stutter and gasp. Then she stumbles forward into the Doctor's arms.

"Oh, Doctor!" she cries out. "It was horrible!" As he comforts her, Veronica slowly lifts her head up and glances down at herself. "Wait. What... why on earth am I wearing a _diaper_?"

Hanna coughs and steps forward. "Well, dear. I can explain..."

The Doctor waves her off. "Actually, no, we don't have time for it." He grabs Veronica by the hand. "Now it's time to run."

And right on cue, alarm lights in the corridor start flashing and klaxons begin wailing.


	7. Chapter 7

**Seven**

As they tear down the main corridor in Subsection Ykev, the Doctor begins to realize that the effects of the kybertine virus are still strong in poor Veronica. Despite his strong grip on her arm, she can hardly keep up with him. Wearing an adult diaper while struggling to regain proper motor control leaves her barely able to manage a frantic waddle. Even Governess Hanna, middle-aged in Sestran years, is moving faster.

As they reach the elevator, the Doctor pulls up short and spins Veronica around. She yelps, but manages to awkwardly stop herself from being slammed into the elevator doors. Her face twists into a sour glare. "What are you doing-?"

"Sorry to have to do this, dear, but we're a little short on time." The Doctor turns and looks back at Hanna, who's still catching up. "I know you're not much for running, Governess, but how are you at carrying heavy loads?"

"I've..." The Governess has to halt and catch her breath. She gasps lightly before adding, "I've carried two grown Puerin in both arms. What do you need?"

"Here, attend to your ward." Without giving her a chance to say no, the Doctor lifts Veronica up under her arms and turns her over to Hanna. Despite the young woman's frantic kicks, Hanna manages to cradle Veronica in her arms-a remarkable feat considering how close in size they are. Veronica squirms and scowls at the Doctor, but whatever protest she's about to make gets cut short when the elevator doors slide open.

"There they are!" a deep Sestran voice shouts. The Doctor doesn't have time to think. His hand automatically brings up his sonic screwdriver and reactivates the psychosomatic energy burst. He spins around and points it right into a Security officer's face. The man grimaces before falling back into the arms of his surprised comrades. While they're distracted, the Doctor flashes them twice and waits for all three Security officers to slump peacefully to the floor.

With a nod, the Doctor waves Hanna and Veronica inside. Then he steps in and rapidly types in an old service code into the elevator control panel. The doors slide shut and over the loudspeaker comes a synthetic female voice: "_Service Override accepted_. _Good afternoon_, _Doctor_."

"What in the world is that?" the Governess exclaims softly.

"Did a bit of tinkering with the security network last time I was here," the Doctor explains with a proud smile. "Not that I didn't trust your people, Governess, but you never know when it might be necessary to have an escape plan." He taps his sonic screwdriver against the control panel. "Case in point."

Both Hanna and Veronica seem relieved to hear it, though Veronica still looks a bit miffed about being carried like a tot in Hanna's arms. The Doctor gives her a patient smile. Fortunately enough, once all this is over, he knows they'll be on their way and off to visit old Blackbeard in the year 17-

The elevator jolts violently, nearly sending the Doctor to trip over the fallen Security agents and slam into the two women behind him. He catches his hand on the door and waits for the shaking to stop. Then everyone looks up at the loudspeaker, which buzzes and warbles with feedback for a second or two.

Then the woman's voice comes back on: "_Service Override denied_. _Emergency Protocol Three-Seven-Nyur now in effect_."

"Care to fill us in?" the Doctor asks, glancing at Hanna.

The Governess frowns anxiously at the loudspeaker. "It's the Premier. He's taken direct control of the elevators."

"Oh." The Doctor offers a frown of his own at the inert control panel. He flashes his sonic screwdriver at it, but to no avail. "So much for being clever." Then he hears something behind him and turns to Hanna. "Did you say something?"

She shakes her head, looking confused. He glances at Veronica, who by now has put her arms around the Governess's neck for support. She gives him a quiet shrug and adds, "Wasn't me."

The Doctor blinks. Then he looks down and notices the twitching Security men at his feet. Especially the one on his left beginning to come around and automatically reaching for the photonic blaster on his belt.

"I've really got to get this thing calibrated," says the Doctor. He holds out his screwdriver, ready to deliver another psychosomatic assault, when the elevator suddenly lurches into motion again. He feels vindicated for only a second before realizing that they're being sent down to the lower levels.

"Doctor," Hanna whispers. Both he and Veronica look up and see that her face is turning a pale shade of pink. "You know what's down there, don't you? Those _things_. Those horrible things..."

He can almost hear the gruff workman's voice in his ears: "_Not unless you_'_ve got something to stop those bloody bachals_..."

"Well, well," the Doctor murmurs to himself. "This ought to be fun..."

When the elevator stops, the Doctor is the first one out the door. He steps to the side and waits for Hanna to carry Veronica over the threshold before sending a scrambling sonic pulse from his screwdriver. The elevator doors slide shut and beep twice, confirming that they're now locked. If they're lucky enough, the Doctor calculates quickly, it should buy them at least three minutes before the Security agents regain consciousness and break the lock.

Hanna slowly leads the way down the corridor with the Doctor close behind. The lighting is worse here, and in some stretches has changed from florescent white panels to ominous red bulbs. Every so often, the lights flicker on and off for five seconds, shrouding everything in complete darkness. It doesn't escape the Doctor's notice that Veronica is clinging to the Governess a little more closely than before. A perfectly natural reaction to such a horrible place.

"Doctor, do you see that cabinet ahead?" While still holding Veronica, the Governess points one of her elbows toward a gray box on the wall ahead. "I think there's some survival gear we might need if we're going to be down here much longer."

"Good thinking, Governess." The Doctor motions for her to wait as he trots ahead. The lights decide to flicker off again, but he manages to bump his arm against the cabinet anyway. When the lights come back on, he's managed to pick the lock and see what's inside: a collection of breath masks and safety harnesses designed for humanoid beings. He grabs three masks and two harnesses, then runs back to the two women.

Slipping one mask over his face, he helps Hanna and Veronica put theirs on. Then he lets Veronica stand on her own feet for a moment while he tries to figure out the harnesses.

"Like this, Doctor," Hanna offers. She slips one harness on and helps Veronica with hers. The Doctor notices that she put Veronica's on backward and obliges by guiding his companion to face Hanna. The Governess smiles apologetically as she pulls Veronica close and begins securing their harnesses together.

"Lower levels are notoriously treacherous," she explains, sounding very much like a nanny. "We wouldn't want to lose each other if some floor panel should break down, now would we?"

Veronica glances back at the Doctor. "This is _so_ humiliating. I hope you realize I'm going to make you suffer for this."

He grins behind his mask and pats her shoulder. "Plenty of time for that later. Now, up you go!"

Without ceremony, the Doctor grabs Veronica by the waist and hoists her up so that she's face-to-face with Hanna. The Governess throws her arms around the smaller woman and waits for Veronica to get her legs around her waist and her arms around her shoulders. When she takes the lead again, Hanna moves a little more quickly and confidently than before. Veronica holds on tight, looking back at the Doctor like a very unhappy child.

After the first five minutes, the Doctor is grateful that Hanna thought to get the masks. The air in this level is damp and oppressive, making their clothes uncomfortable and finding purchase on the floor tiles difficult. Hanna fares slightly better since her boots were made for moving on wet surfaces, but even she has to stop whenever the lights decide to go out for a bit.

They come through a side corridor and end up in the middle of a vast array of old machines and half-finished aquatic vessels. Giant robotic arms tower over the dimly-lit hulks of Sestran submersibles, frigates, and tender ships. Most of the vessels have gone to rust. Wires and lifeless power cables lie scattered about, hanging off the unfinished ships and littering the floor.

As the lights flicker on and off for half a second, the Doctor squints at the nearest ship. "Haven't seen this model in years. Wartime surplus?"

"We stopped production on this line after we released the virus," Hanna explains. She turns slowly, giving herself and Veronica a good look around. "We had the Puerin to take care of. Couldn't afford to maintain a standing military anymore."

"Beating swords into plowshares." The Doctor stops and considers that remark. "Well, more like turning shipyards into nurseries, but you get the idea."

Just then, a terrible rumbling begins. The floor shakes beneath their feet and the abandoned ships around them begin to sway and groan awfully. Hanna hugs Veronica close as the young woman frantically looks toward the Doctor.

He slowly glances down at the floor. "That wasn't a groundquake." He scans his sonic screwdriver over the floor and waits for a reading. When he gets a beep, the Doctor checks the readout.

His breath catches in his throat. "Bachals. A whole school of them, right below us."

Hanna blanches. "We've got to get out of here!"

"Hold it right there!" a Sestran voice orders. The Doctor's been hearing that line far too often today, but it's the muffled tone of the voice that makes him turn around. Spreading out into the abandoned factory is an entire platoon of Sestran troops. Sixteen plasma rifles bear down on the three fugitives huddled together.

The platoon captain points his sidearm right for the Doctor's head. "We're not here to hurt you, sir! We've been ordered to take the three of you into protective custody, nothing more!"

"Protective custody, you say?" The Doctor winces as he feels the rumbling start up again. The Sestran troops hold their ground regardless. "How strong is that protection, Captain?"

"Very-" The captain's reply is lost in the horrible grinding, screeching noises from below. The floor beneath the Sestran troops breaks apart, sending them crashing below as water geysers up and a giant black mountain rises up with a terrific howl of agony.

"Doctor!" Hanna screams, beginning to run off with Veronica. The Doctor starts backing away, moving faster as more of the floor breaks apart under his feet. But he can't stop looking at that lustrous black scales, that meter-long teeth, or the bioluminescent green eyes fixated on him.

At long last, he can cross "Seeing a real-live bachal" off his list.


	8. Chapter 8

**Eight**

Behind her mask, Veronica can't stop screaming. Everything's gone mad now. All she can do is hold onto Governess Hanna and scream her head off at the hideous beast from hell that's suddenly broken into the middle of the factory. But she's also screaming at the Doctor, who isn't moving fast enough to join their escape.

"This way, Doctor!" Hanna cries out. Veronica turns her head just enough to see the Governess taking her under a shaking half-ship and straight toward an emergency exit on the far left. There are power cables and broken ship parts all over the floor, but the Governess manages to jump over them despite the constant shaking and Veronica weighing her down.

Glancing back, Veronica has just enough time to see the Doctor pumping his arms and chasing after them. She doesn't know what scares her more: the behemoth trying to snap its jaws over the Doctor, or the Doctor's demented grin as he runs away.

The beast roars and smashes its mouth down toward the Doctor, who leaps away just in time. However, the impact sends shockwaves through the floor and suddenly Hanna and Veronica are falling through the floor and into open air.

"Hold... on...!" The Governess's voice is almost drowned out by the rushing din as they plummet through the open air below the stilted city. Veronica feels deathly cold as she stares at the massive support columns and the giant tower of black scaly flesh rising up from the water.

In their free fall, Hanna kicks her legs frantically and forces them to turn headfirst toward the ocean. Veronica has only a moment to grasp what's about to happen and tightens herself against the Governess to make themselves more aerodynamic-

Then-_whoosh_! Headfirst into the middle of a vast, black ocean. Veronica can barely see Hanna as they sink below the waves. The pressure is strong enough to make their harnesses taut, though the two women stay hooked together nonetheless.

In the near distance, Veronica hears something else splash into the water. She peers up and sees the outline of a man in an overcoat swimming as fast as he can toward them. Slowly, the outline becomes the familiar shape of the Doctor, whose glowing sonic screwdriver is the only visible light in this darkness.

Something large moves past Veronica's shoulder, making her shudder. She pushes her head against Hanna's shoulder and feels the Governess touch her lower back reassuringly.

"Don't move..." the Governess tells her. Being underwater and wearing a breath mask distorts her voice, but she's still audible. "They're moving on. If we were larger, we'd be a more likely target. Just wait until they go..."

Even through all the distortions, Veronica can hear the dread in the Sestran's voice. She nods and rubs her hands on the woman's back to let her know she understands.

They cling to each other, floating through the darkness as the water churns around them with the shapes of migrating bachals.

Minutes pass. The last of the bachals seems to have finally passed by. Veronica lifts her head just in time to see the glowing tip of a sonic screwdriver being waved over her face.

"Thank heavens you're all right." The Doctor taps Veronica on the forehead with his screwdriver. "Looks like the virus is wearing off. Now we just need to get to the surface. Governess?"

"Follow me." Hanna kicks her legs to alter their position, then waits for the Doctor to put his arms on her shoulders before he joins her in swimming up to the ocean surface. Veronica looks around, amazed at how quiet everything seems now. Just the sound of the Doctor panting through his mask and their legs pushing through the water. Veronica tries to help with the kicking, but she still can't feel her thighs, which feel very heavy.

Then it hits her. Veronica quickly ducks her head against Hanna's shoulder in embarrassment. She can't bear to tell either the Doctor or the Governess that she's actually soiled her diaper. Probably seeing the bachal did the trick, through honestly there was so much chaos it's hard to know when it happened. She's grateful there's no way to smell it underwater or else she'd probably throw up.

Not a moment too soon, they breach the surface. The icy cold water gives way to icy cold winds, buffeting the three of them as they try to hold on to one another and dog-paddle to stay afloat. The Doctor manages to raise one arm out of the water, holding his screwdriver high in the air. Its green tip flashes on and off, creating a beacon that shows up against the dark gray waves.

Veronica hears a thrumming sound from above and cranes her head back in time to see the silhouette of an aircraft. A searchlight passes over them and then two Sestrans in black armor rappel down from the sides of the aircraft on retractable cables.

Neither the Doctor nor Hanna resists when the emergency workers pull them up the cables and into the ship. Veronica closes her eyes throughout the ascent. The wind stings her face at this altitude and she can't bear to look down at the ocean without feeling sick.

There's nothing about this day, it seems, that hasn't been one long horrifying experience.

Eventually, the armored Sestrans get all of them inside the aircraft. One of them methodically reaches in between Hanna and Veronica to disconnect their harnesses, while the other passes out blankets. Veronica tries to huddle close to the Governess and the Doctor-mostly for warmth, but also because she doesn't trust these Sestrans.

She's proven right when she notices the armored troops standing guard by the door of the cargo hold with their hands resting on the guns on their holsters. The door to the hold slides open and a familiar-looking Sestran male enters, scrutinizing the new passengers with barely concealed contempt.

"The Collective will not stand for your meddling any further, Doctor," says the Minister of Health and Science. He shoots a withering glare at Veronica. "You've endangered the lives of many civilians and soldiers in the lower levels, not to mention your blatant disregard for our health statutes. You and your companion are hereby placed under arrest-"

"I'll have to stop you right there, Minister," the Doctor interrupts. He pauses to sneeze, then wipes his nose with the hem of his blanket. "Ugh. Um, if I'm not mistaken, there are rules set down by your Parliament about the rights and liberties of the Puerin in your care. I have the testimony of a Member of Parliament that alleges you-and perhaps other Cabinet officials-have violated these rules. So let's not go assigning guilt just yet, all right?"

The Minister scowls, but doesn't respond. He turns to the nearest guard and says, "Keep them under close observation, Lieutenant. Non-lethal force is permitted if they resist detention."

"Yes, sir," the soldier replies. He and his mate salute as the Minister steps out of the cargo hold.

Veronica watches him leave, briefly contemplating sticking her tongue out at his back. But then she feels the Governess's hands on her shoulders and closes her eyes in gratitude.

It's a small comfort that they'll be warm, dry, and far from the bachals in a prison cell.


	9. Chapter 9

**Nine**

The Governess smiles apologetically as she carries Veronica over to the changing table. "I promise this won't take long, Miss."

Veronica has no way to resist, not that she particularly wants to. If it means getting clean and dry again, so be it. She can't bear to look anywhere else except the ceiling as Hanna puts her on the table and begins to unzip the onesie around her soiled diaper.

Being in a dirty diaper and half-soaked in saltwater is bad enough, but it's nothing compared to the Doctor's torment. Veronica doesn't want to look over at the far corner of the prison cell, where he sits facing the wall with his hands cuffed behind his back.

The Minister for Health and Science, not one to take chances, had put something called a "sonic stockade" on the Doctor: a headband that went from ear to ear. Hanna had explained it as being a traditional punishment for Sestran criminals and Puerin prisoners of war; the device used a combination of sonic and psychic static to make coherent thought impossible. With his hands bound and his sonic screwdriver confiscated, the Doctor has no way to form any more brilliant plans. The Minister has stripped him of his greatest weapon: an independent mind.

"Lift your legs, please." Hanna gently rips the tapes on the soiled garment and pries it off from between Veronica's legs. She winces at the smell and again when the Governess starts to clean her off with a sanitary wipe. But at least the other woman's touch is gentle and she has to remember that Hanna has been doing this sort of thing for years. This thought keeps Veronica calm as she waits for the Governess to finish.

"I know this might not mean much," Hanna says as she applies the talcum powder and diaper rash cream, "but as hard as dealing with the Puerin can be, it's still better than it was before. I don't care what the Minister thinks. At least the bombings and the raids have stopped."

Veronica glances up at the Governess's tired face. "Were you old enough to remember the war?"

Hanna nods and reaches for a clean diaper from below the changing table. "I was an adolescent then. They put me to work on a monitor crew in Level Twelve. We had to coordinate a Quadrant Defense Unit in the Bajar Sea. Lift your legs, please." As Veronica complies, the Governess closes her eyes and unfolds the diaper. "We couldn't do anything for them when the Puerin attacked. All we could do was listen to the screams until the last ship went silent."

Pity moves Veronica to put her hand over Hanna's wrist as the Governess slides the diaper under her bottom. Hanna smiles gratefully, then finishes taping it on. Veronica doesn't make as much of a fuss about being diapered this time.

"I don't know if we'll ever find a cure for the kybertine virus," Hanna adds, wiping her brow. "But I hope that one day we can restore the Puerin's minds and coexist peacefully." She glances back at the Doctor, still in agony in the corner. "When he showed up with you... I thought maybe he could help us reach that goal. I'd have never imagined things could get this bad."

Veronica blinks. She's regained enough strength that sitting up on the changing table is no problem. She looks over the Governess's shoulder at the Doctor and considers her options.

Either way she looks at it, they're dead. It's only a question of whether they'll be gunned down by Sestran troops or left to die forgotten in this cell. And as she looks at the Doctor, she realizes that there's something important to remember. Something he'd told her just after their adventure on Jupiter in the year 3124.

"You can't stop them from believing," she murmurs. "Yes, that was it. Like in that Journey song."

"What does that mean?" Hanna asks, frowning.

Veronica takes her hand and slides off the table. She grimaces for a moment at the sound of the diaper rustling under her onesie, then walks over toward the Doctor. Her legs still feel weak and rubbery, but she manages to cross the room with Hanna's help.

"He told me about this one adventure," Veronica explains as she kneels beside the catatonic Doctor. "The Year That Never Was, he called it. Something about psychic satellites and the power of prayer. I dunno, seemed a bit loony, but apparently Time Lords are tuned to all sorts of emotions." She looked up at the Governess, who was still perplexed. "The point is, I think we might be able to help the Doctor break through this sonic stockade thingy."

"But no one's ever done it before!"

Veronica can't stop herself from feeling a bit like the Doctor when she answers, "Well, first time for everything."

It's awkward, but the Governess and Veronica manage to turn the Doctor away from the wall. They kneel on either side of him, holding their hands against both sides of the headset. The Doctor hardly reacts to this change beyond twitching his lips wordlessly. His eyes stay wide open, staring at nothing.

"This is ridiculous," Hanna sighs. "Wishful thinking can't break the stockade."

"That's what you said about the regressed Puerin," Veronica counters sternly. She gestures to her legs. "But I'm recovering pretty fast myself, don't you think? Better to take a chance here than give up now."

The Governess doesn't say a word. She glumly looks at the Doctor, then back at Veronica. With a tired shrug, she leans toward the Doctor's face and Veronica does the same.

"Doctor," they say together, as loudly and clearly as possible. When he doesn't react, Veronica and Hanna continue. "Doctor. Doctor. Doctor. Doctor. Doctor. Doctor..."

And the more she says it, the more Veronica begins to feel her old strength returning. More than just her bodily functions and motor skills; she feels the confidence of the street coming back. The way she used to be when she was running a job for her father and his associates: all style and no mistakes. But this isn't another con or contraband run. This time she's trying to actually save someone.

They repeat his name like a mantra, until it becomes the only sound echoing throughout the chamber. And just when Veronica wishes the moment would never end, she feels it. A subtle shift in the air around them.

And then she hears his voice, weak but familiar. "Um, well done, Veronica dear. Better get a move on, eh?"


	10. Chapter 10

**Ten**

"...So that's the plan." The Doctor claps his hands together and looks expectantly at the two women like a schoolteacher. "Any questions?"

"I've got one." Veronica cradles her cheek in her palm. "What kind of sad excuse for a plan is that?"

The Doctor looks down at the disassembled sonic stockade on the floor and begins sticking the modified bits back inside. "Well, what did you expect?"

"I dunno! Something more... explosive!" Veronica gestures madly, unable to think through her frustration. "Er, a massive uprising! Getting everyone all riled up! Getting the Cabinet on camera for a public confession or... _something_!"

"The problem with that strategy is that it won't do much good." The Doctor fumbles around for the final panel and glances quickly at Hanna. "Governess, if I recall correctly, the Sestran Defense Forces have contingency orders in the event of riots and civilian protests?"

"Sadly, yes," the Governess confirms.

As he snaps the last piece onto the device, the Doctor looks Veronica in the eye. His voice drops an octave and loses all its casual mirth. "If we do the typical revolutionary tactics, the government will just respond with the typical counterrevolutionary tactics. We need a plan that goes outside the box." He slowly smiles as he holds up the sonic stockade to Veronica. "Not to mention a plan that involves just a little dramatic irony, don't you think?"

She wants to disagree, but she remembers how futile that was in their last three adventures. Veronica nods and takes the stockade from the Doctor. She examines it for a moment and then puts it on her head. Hanna steps up to help her adjust the pads around her ears.

The Doctor puts both hands on her shoulders and asks, "Can you hear me?" When Veronica says she can despite the mufflers, he smiles and spins her around toward Hanna. The Governess extends her hand, which Veronica accepts, and they walk together for the door.

At a nod from the Doctor, Hanna knocks three times on the door. It slides open, revealing a pair of masked Sestran soldiers with rifles at the ready.

"Sorry in advance," the Doctor says quietly and reaches up to pinch Veronica on the back of her neck. She squeezes her eyes shut and screams her head off.

The soldiers suddenly drop their rifles and fall to their knees. As soon as the Doctor lets go of her neck, Veronica leans over into Hanna's comforting arms, half-amazed at how much that hurt.

Meanwhile, the Doctor examines the twitching soldiers. When they don't respond to his touch, he mumbles something about "psionic and sonic residue" and walks around them to go further down the corridor.

Hanna and Veronica follow quietly after him, exchanging a surprised look. Then Hanna smiles and pats Veronica's shoulder when the young woman realizes that she's wet herself in the middle of all that screaming. After all this, she can't believe that she's starting to find the Governess's sympathy to be the only good thing about this mad Sestran city.

They go on like this for the next three levels, with Veronica screaming and the sonic stockade projecting her pain into the minds of Sestrans and Puerin wherever they go. The Doctor briefly explains it having something to do with the nervous system going into shock, though he doesn't seem to enjoy the procedure any more than Veronica does. He stays quiet and stern throughout their journey to the upper levels. Veronica knows better than to question him when he gets that way. She's seen what happens to monsters and tyrants when they've made the Doctor this upset.

"Watch your step," Hanna warns. She leads the younger woman around the twitching bodies of Sestran workers on the floor, who don't seem capable of noticing the skulking trio as they make their way onto Level Ten, Section Nzar, Subsection Dyrcles. The Doctor marches confidentially ahead of them, whistling a cheery tune despite his grim expression. It takes Veronica a second to register that he's whistling the 1812 Overture.

Cheeky boy, she thinks sullenly. I'd whistle too if I hadn't worn out my throat two levels ago...

The screaming has been brutal. Even though it was fortunate of Hanna to find a water canteen along the way, it's not enough to soothe the rasping ache in the back of her throat. And she feels terrible about the people they've had to incapacitate along the way. The soldiers she doesn't mind so much, but those poor, innocent Puerin...

Which only reminds Veronica that she'll need to be changed-again-when this ordeal with the Cabinet is finally over.

"Here we are, then!" the Doctor announces. He comes to a stop in front of a pair of ornate white doors at the end of the corridor. A pair of security cameras overhead swivel toward him as he glances up and waves.

The lights on the cameras flash red, then green, and the doors swing open.

Hanna continues to half-shield, half-guide Veronica as they follow the Doctor through one small room of white circular couches and holographic portraits of distinguished Sestran statesmen. Through another pair of smaller doors, the Doctor waves the two women inside, where they discover a glossy black conference table in the middle of a blank white room, around which sit sixteen Sestran officials. Including a very surprised Health and Science Minister and an upset Premier.

"Ladies and gentlemen, good morning!" The Doctor claps his hands together, looking and sounding very much like a teacher on the first day of school. "Now you all know who I am and why I'm here. The only question is..." He looks around, smiling in an unfriendly way. "Will you still be here when I'm through with you?"

Everyone at the table looks to the Premier. The eldest Sestran glares at the Doctor, then nods. "Take a seat, Doctor. We've a lot to discuss."


	11. Chapter 11

**Eleven**

"When we released the kybertine virus," Premier Bardein begins, "we had two goals in mind: the neutralization of the Puerin threat and the reclamation of our plundered treasures. The raiders had taken so much of value from us: precious cargo and armaments, financial reserves, historical records. We thought we could restore our economy once we discovered where they'd put all their plunder, which we assumed had to be in one well-hidden and well-protected location."

The Doctor rubs at his forehead as soon as it hits him. "You mean the Golden Vault."

"Precisely." The Premier glances left at the Health and Science Minister, who cringes in his chair, and then over at Veronica. "Unfortunately, we hadn't counted on mental regression as a major side effect, which ultimately cost us the secret to the Vault. We've spent more than six years mounting deepsea expeditions and combing through subconscious Puerin minds for leads."

"Combing?" The Doctor waves his hand at Veronica, who looks away in shame. "You're putting the minds of innocent beings at risk and you call that _combing_?"

"Hardly innocent." The Premier's eyes shoot him a withering glare. "If you'd seen what they'd done to our people, to our outlying settlements-"

"That excuse is never going to work on me, Premier." The Doctor meets his glare. He has to fight to hold back the memories of Gallifrey burning and keep the rage out of his voice. "War is an ugly thing. Your predecessor knew that. Your whole society has known it for centuries."

"And you did _nothing_ to help!" Now Premier Bardein stands up, shaking indignantly while the rest of the Cabinet leaps to their feet, too. "Where was the mighty Doctor when we lost our fleet at the Bajar Sea? Where was your precious TARDIS when Sestrapolis itself was being invaded? You have the power to go to any point in time and space and yet you've done nothing-_nothing_, I say!-to help save thousands of innocent lives!"

Now all eyes are on the Doctor. Having been confronted with such accusations before, he sits and waits for the tension in the room to build. He's asked himself those same questions every time he came to Sestra Prime. Premier Arstani wouldn't have questioned him like this, which made the Doctor think of him as a good leader. But then, didn't Arstani give in and authorize the release of the virus in the end?

"I can see that citing the Blinovitch Limitation Effect won't mean a thing to you," the Doctor finally says. "I know you've suffered. I _know_ what it means to fight a war that never ends. I know what it means to take desperate measures and to lose your mind fighting an enemy that never quits." He slowly looks up at Premier Bardein. "I also know that the TARDIS is more than capable of finding the Golden Vault. But we could have avoided"-he gestures back at Veronica and Hanna-"all this. You didn't have to fight me like you fought the Puerin. All you had to do was ask me _nicely_."

No one in the Cabinet has a response. The Doctor looks each Minister in the eye, lingers on the Health and Science Minister, and then settles on Bardein's scowling, tired visage. With a nod, he stands up and waits for Veronica and Hanna to do the same.

"All right," he says with a quiet smile, "you win."

The Premier blinks. "I beg your pardon?"

"You win, mate. You got yourself an expedition, courtesy of the TARDIS." The Doctor then lifts a finger and points at Veronica. "But first, you're going to undo the damage you did to her and _then_ you're going to call an emergency session of Parliament. I want all MPs watching the progress of the expedition in real-time. No tricks, no censorship-they see what we see and get to decide what happens after that."

When everyone offers him a blank look, he slaps his palm onto the table and gives them his best Furious Time Lord voice. "_Do I make myself clear_?"

"Perfectly clear, Doctor," the Premier says quickly. It's refreshing to say a little fear in his eyes. The Doctor likes it when people in authority are afraid; it makes them so much easier to persuade.

He stops himself from following up on that thought. It's not good to be thinking like that. Reminds him too much of another Time Lord he knows, one he hasn't seen in a long time.

"I've give you an hour to make the arrangements," the Doctor announces. Then, with a smile, he turns to the two women at his side. "If you need me, I'll be in the nearest dining hall. There's bound to be a gerry ale with my name on it."

Exactly one hour and two gerry ales later, the Doctor returns to the Cabinet room, where the Premier has reassembled all his Ministers. Standing off to the far right are Veronica and Hanna, both holding hands. Veronica has changed back into her original clothes, although it's hard to miss a telltale bulge below her waist. Hanna had mentioned that regaining full bladder control would still be an issue, even with the kybertine reversal.

Food for thought, the Doctor muses. He looks at Premier Bardein and clears his throat.

The Premier nods and waves at a Sestran attendant in green coveralls to come around the table. The young man anxiously walks up to the Doctor and holds up his sonic screwdriver.

"Thanks very much," the Doctor says as he takes back the device. Now he feels more comfortable about the situation. He looks at Bardein again and asks, "Is she ready?"

"Yes." The Premier turns to the Health Minister. "Bring her in."

A side door opens and two City Security officers escort a familiar young Puerin woman into the room. She's sucking anxiously on a pacifier, though when she looks at the Doctor, her eyes brighten.

He smiles warmly as the officers bring her over. "Hello, little Clarent. Are you being a good girl?"

"Ba," the Puerin mouths around her pacifier.

The Doctor holds up his sonic screwdriver and turns on the same biometric function he used on Veronica. The Puerin stares at the glowing green tip. Her mouths open just enough for the Doctor to pull the pacifier out, which she doesn't notice. He begins to move the tip of the screwdriver back and forth, which her eyes follow.

"Now then, Clarent, I need you to think very carefully." The Doctor holds the sonic screwdriver in place and looks at her over the tip. "Think very hard. Do you know where the Golden Vault is?"

"Dah yab," the girl replies confidently.

The Doctor smiles. "Where is it?"

"Baj ba, ya ya ya _ya_!" The girl giggles and starts to reach for the glowing tip. The Doctor makes sure the device's other functions are locked and then hands it over for her to examine. Unless she had the grip of a Cyberman, it would be impossible for the child to break the thing.

"I don't understand," Governess Hanna says, frowning. "How does that help us?"

"Oh, not to worry." The Doctor favors Veronica with a knowing smile. "I speak Baby."

"I'll get you for that, too," she mutters back, but smiles anyway.

"Doctor, please." The Premier's face is strained with frustration. "_Where_ is it?"

Slowly, the Doctor turns to address the whole Cabinet and smiles sadly.

"Inside an underwater cavern," he tells them. "Eight hundred meters below the surface of the Bajar Sea."


	12. Chapter 12

**Twelve**

Within half an hour, the Doctor, the Premier, Veronica, and Hanna stand at the bridge of a _Vayrn_-class submersible making its descent into the mesopelagic zone of the Bajar Sea. Hull-mounted scanners show only an infinite void this deep below the sea. Not even the bachals can be found here. Only tiny bioluminescent sea creatures flitting through the endless night.

Veronica watches as the Doctor and the Premier converse in low tones near the control section, where a crew of six Sestran navigators and sailors are busy manning the vessel. The Doctor's hardly said a word to her since they started the expedition. He seems distracted, which for a moment reminds Veronica of how her dad used to be when he was off with his criminal associates.

Hanna, though, has been a relief. She keeps a calm hand on Veronica's shoulder, which has helped her cope with the fact that she still has a diaper on under her clothes. At least the Sestran health workers were good enough to give her one that wasn't so thick as the last few.

"Is this what space is like?" Hanna asks quietly. Veronica looks over and sees that the Governess is watching the screens on the wall, which show only darkness with the occasional pinprick of light.

"Pretty much," Veronica answers. She smiles as she remembers her first voyage on the TARDIS. "But it can be a lot more beautiful than this. It's an incredible thing when you can see your homeworld from orbit for the first time. Everything looks so small and it's so big..."

The Governess nods. "It's bigger on the inside, you mean."

Veronica snorts, then covers her mouth to keep from laughing. Hanna stares at her, befuddled.

"Sorry," says the younger woman, slowly regaining her composure. "Mm. Sorry, I... it was just your choice of words. It's what I said when I started going with the Doctor."

Hanna glances over her shoulder. "Well, we should probably stay focused. We don't want the other MPs to think we're not taking this seriously."

Veronica nods, feeling sober again. It's easy to forget that there are cameras mounted all over the sub's interior, giving a time-delayed broadcast to the chambers of the Sestran Parliament and wherever the MPs can be found. She can only imagine how terrified the Premier must be, knowing that every Member of Parliament is watching.

What they find at the Vault will either exonerate him as a leader or be the death knell of his government. But having faced off Jovian warlords and watched her father's criminal family fall apart, Veronica has come to expect some upheaval when the Doctor's around.

"Remarkable," the Premier comments. The Doctor turns and looks at the nearest scanner display. He sees the faint outline of a massive battleship; its stern juts upward like that of the sinking _Titanic_-and wasn't that a fun voyage?

"These are the remains of Quadrant Defense Force Three," Bardein continued solemnly. "We've found some flotsam on our early expeditions, but never the main bulk of the fleet. This is just as historic a find as the Vault itself."

"Doubt it'll jump-start your economy, though," the Doctor comments. He can't resist a wry smile. As true as the Premier's words ring, he knows it's mostly for show. A little patriotism to stir the hearts and minds of the MPs watching their every move, especially if the Vault proves disappointing.

One of the technicians up front taps his finger on the same display. "I think we've got it, sirs. Hajr, magnify by six degrees."

"Magnifying now," his partner replies.

The display flashes blue for a second, showing a thermal scan of the cavern. Faint yellow lines cross each other in a vicious tangle of low-heat signatures. Probably aquatic life, the Doctor surmises, but he's just as interested as the Premier to see what's there.

"Deploy Probes One, Two, and Four," one crewman orders.

"Deploying probes, sir..."

The scanner display changes again, showing a real-time feed of the cavern with bioluminescent drones being propelled into the void. Pings are emitted to give everyone on the submersible a clearer view of the scale of the Vault-about the size of a city subsection in Sestrapolis.

One drone swims through a gap in the vast surface of corrugated metal built into the bedrock. The Doctor hears Premier Bardein's breath catch as they wait for the next report.

Two pings, then silence.

The submersible commander, a tall Sestran in a pale blue uniform with three bars on his chest, turns to the Premier with a grim frown. "I'm sorry, sir. We're not finding a positive match."

"But it has to be here, it _has_ to be!" Bardein wrings his hands and looks like he's trying very hard not to glance at any of the cameras focused on him. "There must be something, Commander. Munitions, cash reserves, food supplies! Something of value!"

The commander glances over his shoulder at one of the displays, then shakes his head. "I'm sorry, Premier. At this depth, the pressure broken the Vault's seal. There weren't any Puerin to keep a containment field running."

Slowly, Bardein sinks to his knees. He stares blindly at the floor next to the commander's boots. "Gone. It's all... gone..."

From behind, the Doctor hears Governess Hanna step forward and say, "Then it's decided. As MP for Subsection Karn, I move for a vote of no confidence in the Bardein government."

A synthetic male voice issues from one of the bridge speakers overhead. "_The motion has been seconded_. _Please cast your vote and await the count_."

The Doctor moves and stands next to Veronica-whom he reassures with a quick smile-as the Governess steps around the still-kneeling Premier and taps in a command on the nearest touchscreen. There's a loud ping as her vote is transmitted and the bridge falls silent again as everyone waits for the result.

The speaker crackles again as the same voice from before declares: "_By a unanimous decision_, _the Bardein government has been dissolved_-"

"No!" Bardein snarls. He springs to his feet and throws himself at Hanna, who falls back against the console and barely manages to hold him off. The crewmen around them shout and struggle to pull the now-former Premier off of her, but he resists with biting and kicking.

"You've ruined _me_!" he shouts over the din. "You've ruined us _all_!"

The Doctor shakes his head. It's never a pretty sight to see a fallen leader, least of all one so bitter as Bardein. He turns to Veronica and quietly hands her the sonic screwdriver. "You know what to do, my dear. Adjust by two degrees. Big green button."

"Thought you'd never ask," she replies with a sinister grin. He watches his companion quickly sneak around the pair of sailors who are trying to pull Bardein's hands away from Hanna's throat. No one seems to notice her until Veronica sticks the tip of the sonic screwdriver up against Bardein's neck and hits the button.

A psychosomatic wave puts him out in one go. Bardein slumps peacefully into the arms of the sailors while Veronica offers the Governess a hand.

"I know it's not much at a time like this," Veronica says as the Sestran woman stands back up, "but for what's it worth, you were the best babysitter I've ever had."


	13. Chapter 13

**Thirteen**

The next morning, Veronica wakes up in a strange off-white room with the lights turned down low. She blinks and stretches, slowly recalling the previous day's expedition and the public frenzy of when they'd returned to Sestrapolis. She'd never been a celebrity before, though the Doctor seemed to have no problem facing the eager crowds.

As she gets up, Veronica looks around the guest room she'd been assigned, but had never been able to use until now. It's fairly cozy if Spartan in its decor. Not much better than her tiny flat in the West End. She smiles and throws off the covers from her bed.

With a slight grimace, she gets out of bed and stands up despite the crinkling from under her nightgown. Although the virus is wearing off and she's regaining her bladder and bowel control, it isn't fully restored yet. The Sestrans had been decent enough to upgrade her protection from a thick and awkward diaper to a form-fitting pullup that didn't make walking into a chore.

Her pullup is only a little wet, which she supposes has to count as progress. Veronica goes over to the dresser and pulls the top drawer open. There are over a dozen folded-up pullups inside, along with powder, wipes, and rash cream. She grabs a pullup and a bottle of powder before heading into the bathroom for a much-needed shower.

The Doctor is sitting in the living room, idly flipping through channels on the TV and dipping biscuits into a jar of custard like usual. When he sees Veronica come in-now properly dressed and made up-he offers a biscuit and a friendly smile.

She takes one from the package and glances at the TV. "Was that Hanna just now?"

"Not just Hanna," he reports, still smiling. He taps a button on the remote, showing her live footage of Hanna sitting down with sixteen Sestran officials in the Cabinet room. "You're now looking at the new Minister of Health and Science."

"Well, good for her." Veronica can't resist a smile of her own. "She deserves a raise."

The Doctor pauses before taking a bite of another biscuit, then turns to her. "Well, it's not a totally happy ending," he says while chewing. Stopping to swallow, he adds, "I just got in twenty minutes ago. The Ministry had me up all night with the Puerin, seeing if I could do to them what I did to you. Try to reverse the effects of the kybertine with the right biometric data."

Veronica sits down on the couch next to him. "And?"

He sighs and shakes his head. "It's not likely to change. Not for this generation anyway. They're regressed, but they'll grow up eventually. The younger ones will properly go through their adolescence with Sestran assistance and they'll eventually reproduce and mature like they used to do. The difference will be there that, once the Puerin regain their minds, they'll learn what the Sestrans did and they'll hate them for it. Or maybe not. Maybe they'll see how good parents they had-provided the Sestrans do as good a job as Hanna did with you."

The thought makes Veronica blush a little, but she nods. "True enough. So, it's a long-term recovery?"

"It always is." The Doctor is staring toward the TV, but he doesn't seem to actually be watching it. "But it also got me thinking. I know the Sestrans have been at war for such a long time, but that psychic technology. The kybertine virus and the sonic stockade... it's far beyond their level. Even for all the usual innovations a wartime society can create."

"Well I'm sure they had someone brilliant coming up with those inventions." Veronica playfully nudges him in the shoulder. "Some genius like you."

The Doctor smiles briefly. "As a matter of fact, they kept mentioning this one Sestran engineer. Dr. Seth Trema of the Kheva Academy. Sounds like he was their own Robert Oppenheimer. 'The Creator of the Kybertine,' they called him. 'The Master of War' and-"

He breaks off and suddenly glances at Veronica. "No. No, that couldn't be right."

"What?"

"Well, it's the name. Seth Trema. It seems familiar somehow. And so did the sonic stockade when I took it apart-and how you overcame it." The Doctor scratches at his beard thoughtfully. "Like in The Year That Never Was..."

He gets up and walks over to the comm screen on the desk in the corner. "Excuse me. I need to make a quick call."

Veronica waits and watches as he punches in a call code. He leans forward and says into the screen. "Yes, hello. This is the Doctor. I'd like to speak to the Minister of Health and Science. Yes, I'll hold."

Slowly, as her curiosity gets the better of her, Veronica gets off the couch and walks over. She glances past the Doctor's shoulder at the comm screen, just as Hanna steps into view. "_Oh, hello, Doctor. Hello, Veronica. How can I help you_?"

"Sorry to interrupt your first meeting at Cabinet," the Doctor says quickly, "but it's urgent. I need to know about this Dr. Trema of yours."

"Dr. Trema?" Hanna frowns. "Well, we didn't want to bring it up, but... it would seem that he disappeared yesterday."

"Disappeared?"

"City Security says he was last seen taking a private ship out of the Academy docks at Twelfth Watch. About an hour after we set out on the expedition. There's been no recovery of either him or the vessel. No one knows why he suddenly took off like that."

"An impeccable record, I'd imagine."

"He'd have to be. He's the highest-rated scientist in both the Academy and the Ministry of Defense."

The Doctor suddenly grips the comm screen for dear life. "I need you to check your records and remember this very carefully, Minister. Did Dr. Seth Trema have anything in his possession that looked like _this_?"

He reaches into his pocket and pulls out a small gray fob watch. The sight of it makes Veronica's breath catch. She remembers when he showed it to her on Jupiter.

It's part of a Chameleon Arch. A Time Lord's disguise kit.


	14. Chapter 14

**Fourteen**

A pair of City Security agents flank the Doctor and Minister Hanna as they cross a well-lit threshold and enter a workstation on Level Twenty, Block Hass, Subsection Ftar-otherwise known as the Kheva Academy of Science and Engineering. The workstation is a cubicle in a row of seventeen stations in a vast hallway; like the others, it's filled with bits of technology, holographic readouts, and a touchscreen on the table.

The Doctor frowns at the touchscreen. Someone had drawn several interlocking circles in black marker on the surface. Though the Sestrans wouldn't understand, he recognizes the pattern as Gallifreyan, which only makes him feel worse about the situation.

"'Hello, Doctor,'" he reads quietly. "Never my friend, but always friendly, aren't you?"

"Doctor, what is it-?" Hanna stops when he lifts his hand and taps the touchscreen. Unsurprisingly it turns on at his touch.

The Minister and the Security agents lean over his shoulders to watch a video recording appear on the screen. The face that comes on is that of a male Sestran, but the Doctor can tell something about him is fake. The skin around the eyes doesn't seem real enough. And he could recognize that ghastly smile anywhere.

"Sorry you just missed me, Doctor," says the Master. He leans forward, his grin widening. "And if this recording's playing, I _know_ you're the one watching. Don't bother trying to trace me through it. I had more than enough time to cover my tracks while you were off chasing that treasure chest."

He leans back and claps his hands together, mocking the Sestran salute. "Oh and I also took my blueprints for the kybertine virus and the sonic stockade with me. Deleted the originals. I doubt the Sestrans will be needing them anymore."

The Doctor stares at the screen. His stomach goes tight at the thought of what that implies. He's seen what the virus and the stockade could do to an entire species. He can only imagine in horror what they could do to an entire universe...

"I really couldn't have done it without you," the Master continues gleefully. He lifts a sonic stockade into view. "It was the Archangel Network all over again. I knew you'd find the same way around it as before. I was _counting_ on it. But the stockade's just a toy. It's the virus that's important and this waterworld was the perfect testing ground. All I needed was you and your companion to show up."

The Doctor slams his fist against the touchscreen. His anger with the Cabinet was mere irritation compared to the helpless rage that burns within his chest. The Sestrans draw back from him immediately.

The Master casually tosses the sonic stockade over his shoulder, letting it crash somewhere off-screen. "Well, I must be going now, Doctor. I'd say it's been fun, but I think we both know..." He winks and adds in a lower octave, "The fun's just beginning."

And with that, the message ends.

Veronica is waiting inside the TARDIS when the Doctor and Hanna finally show up. The way the Doctor walks with such a miserable expression, you'd think he was still trapped in the sonic stockade. He manages to lean onto one of the consoles around the Cloister Bell and starts flipping a few switches; the interior of the vessel begins to hum with rising power in a way that Veronica now finds familiar. Comforting, even.

She supposes he takes comfort in it, too. It is his home, after all.

"Hanna, I'm leaving you an encrypted frequency that you and the Premier can use to contact me," the Doctor says quietly. He doesn't bother to look away from the controls. "If you discover anything vital about his plans or anything about containing the virus, let me know right away."

"Of course, Doctor." Hanna walks past him as he continues to fiddle with the controls. She comes up to Veronica and smiles with embarrassment. "Well, Miss..."

Veronica smiles and shakes her head. "Oh, I think we're beyond 'Miss' now."

The Governess nods and suddenly enfolds the younger woman in a hug. Veronica returns it, trying to commit every detail of this moment to memory. The warmth of her body, the smooth texture of her jumpsuit and cloak, and the strong arms encircling her. She hasn't felt such warmth and affection since her mom left, though the Doctor-bless his heart-has tried his best.

As they pull away, Veronica looks up into Hanna's eyes. "And don't forget. You can use that same channel if you ever want to chat."

Hanna nods again and touches her on the cheek. "I'll remember, Veronica dear. Thank you for everything, and may your journey bring you fortune."

Veronica puts her hands on the nearest console and watches the former Governess leave the TARDIS. The door shuts quietly and soon the Cloister Bell is ringing and everything starts vibrating. She rushes to take the nearest chair and waits.

The Doctor emerges from the other side of the Cloister Bell, looking down at his sonic screwdriver like it's an old friend-which she knows full well that it is. When he looks up at her, he smiles and ducks his head like an embarrassed teenager.

"It's a long way back to Earth," he explains, sticking his screwdriver into his pocket. "Have you got enough, er, supplies for the trip?"

"Plenty of underwear changes, rest assured."

"Oh, good." The Doctor walks closer and puts his hand on her shoulder. "Hate for you to be inconvenienced."

Veronica grins. "Listen to yourself. You're turning into a nanny, too."

"Am not!" He pulls back, sounding offended despite the casual grin on his face. "I'll have you know, Veronica Hyde, that I was once a grandfather. I've forgotten more about family matters than you'll ever know!"

"I'll bet you have, old-timer."

He throws up his hands in mock despair. "Humans, these days! No respect for the elder races! Why, I could tell you a thing or two about a lovely young woman named Susan who used to travel with me-and she wasn't that much older than you either..."

And so they go, sharing their stories and patching up their wounds as the TARDIS travels ever onward.

THE END


End file.
